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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
This is the classic book on the ancient customs, crafts and techniques of the Scottish Highlands. The past is evoked with a fascinating blend of historical narrative and detail, with descriptions of the fireplaces and furniture, the creels and cas chroms which were a vital part of everyday life in the Highland communities, but which have now become strange in the modern world of machinery and technology. Highland Folk Ways vividly describes the many aspects and artefacts of our ancestors' lives; the clothes, cooking utensils, weapons, food and the implements for fishing, farming and building are all meticulously depicted and placed in historical context. The book has over 70 illustrations, and is surely the definitive resource book for everyone who wants to rediscover the lifestyle of the clansmen and crofters.
Where is the head of Pancho Villa really buried? Did Butch Cassidy die the way mainstream history says he did? Was the real Davy Crocket a hero of historic proportions during the Battle of the Alamo or a sniveling coward? Is the Lost Dutchman Mine real or a total farce? These questions and many more will be explored in the exciting book, Stand Off at High Noon. Controversy sells. There is no doubt about it. Whether one is discussing the lives of contemporary politicians or figures from our past, the public loves to continuously debate the sincerity of these individuals and subjects. Name recognition and the enduring popularity of these historic characters is a great selling point for this volume. Most people in the general populace are familiar with the names Davy Crockett and the Donner Party (amongst the many others featured within the pages) giving this work access to a wide and varied audience. Fans and detractors of these characters alike will enjoy the entertaining narrative and opposing opinions of the authors.
The South Downs has throughout history been a focus of English popular culture. With chalkland, their river valleys and scarp-foot the Downs have been shaped for over millennia by successive generations of farmers, ranging from Europe's oldest inhabitants right up until the 21st century. '... possibly the most important book to have been written on the South Downs in the last half-century ... The South Downs have found their perfect biographer.' Downs Country
The newest series from Globe features regional history with a true crime twist! Written by true crime author-experts, each book focuses on the most significant (and prolific) violent female criminals from that state or region. Female killers are often portrayed as caricatures: Black Widows, Angels of Death, or Femme Fatales. But the real stories of these women are much more complex. The author provides a look at the lives of at each killer through primary source materials, including diaries and trial records. Readers will be glued to their seats as they follow the killers through broken childhoods, first brushes with death, and overwhelming urges that propelled these women to commit these heinous crimes. The kidnappings, murders, investigations, trials, and ultimate verdicts will stun and surprise readers as they live vicariously through the killers and the dogged investigators who caught them.
At the turn of the Twentieth Century, St. Louis, Missouri, was the fourth largest city in the country. For years, it was the westernmost metropolis, known for its manufacturing, beer, railroad hub, music, baseball, World's Fair, and its romance with the Mississippi. This collection of shocking stories ripped from the headlines of the Gateway City's seamy past includes tales of cholera epidemics, deadly newspaper-daily duels, ragtime racism, and Spiritualism scuffles. Readers will also meet the formative female figures behind the women's suffrage movement in St. Louis, and discover how local brewers fought against Prohibition with the help of America's favorite pastime-baseball.
Comprehensive and authoritative history of Corby and Great Oakley, charting their growth and development from the early medieval period to the present day. Lying in north Northamptonshire, close to the borders with Leicestershire and Rutland, the neighbouring parishes of Corby and Great Oakley were formerly part of the ancient administrative division of Corby hundred. Both remainedagricultural villages, typical of much of rural Northamptonshire before 1932 when the landscape of the area was dramatically altered by large-scale industrialisation associated with the production of iron and steel following the discovery of rich ironstone deposits to the north and east of Corby village. Corby was most directly affected by these changes, with the parish experiencing a dramatic rise in population after the Stewarts & Lloyds Company chose toconcentrate their entire steel producing operation there. Between 1932 and 1950, the increasing population resulted in the hasty construction, firstly by the Stewarts & Lloyds Company and later by the Corby UDC, of housing estates on former agricultural land adjacent to the steelworks, before Corby was designated a New Town in April 1950 and responsibility for it passed to the Corby Development Corporation. From this point on, Great Oakley was inexorablydrawn into the expanding new town as it spread southwards, eventually being incorporated firstly into Corby urban district in1967 and in 1993 into Corby Borough. Although Corby is perhaps best known for the social problems or"New Town Blues" that blighted it after the steelworks (the town's principal employer) closed in 1980, this volume documents the lesser known medieval and early modern history of Corby and Great Oakley; it shows how generations of inhabitants utilised the rich natural geology and the abundant woodland to supplement the local agrarian economy, before examining in detail Corby's industrialisation, physical and economic growth, post-industrial decline and 21st-century regeneration. Mark Page is Assistant Editor, Victoria County History, Oxfordshire; Matthew Bristow is Research Manager, Victoria County History.
Norwich is a city that has seen it all. Its citizens have been murdered with poisoned dumplings, royalty and rogues have walked the same cobbled streets, and rioters have mustered outside its city gates. Quirky details and local anecdotes abound as this jam-packed compendium explores the UK's most easterly city, from its earliest origins to the present day. Looking at conflicts, sports, entertainment, traditions and all that makes Norwich special, this book will entertain and enthrall all those looking for some frivolous facts about this marvellous city.
The original editions of Curiosities of Bristol contained every surprising fact the Victorian reader could wish to know about the city's history. For the first time in more than 150 years, this fascinating volume collects together the complete run of this extremely rare publication. Every page is bursting with strange tales of local interest: antiquities and relics, folklore and magic, strange deaths, wicked murders and the complete history of events such as the Bristol Riots of 1831, many of which are infamous. Also including a visitor's guide to the city, and with the addition of beautiful contemporary plates from Skelton's 1850 masterpiece Etchings of the Antiquities of Bristol, this book will delight residents, visitors and lovers of curious tales alike.
This text presents a comprehensive list of those from County Wexford who died during the First and Second World Wars. It includes data and never-seen-before correspondence and photographs.
Take an enchanting journey through the shifting seasons in a wildlife sanctuary home to wetland, forest, and grassland and supporting an incredible diversity of plants and animals. Flocks of waterfowl exploding into steely skies above frozen marshland, salamanders creeping across the forest floor to vernal pools, chorusing frogs peeping their ecstasy while warblers crowd budding trees, turtles sunning on floating logs, the ecological engineering of beavers-these are but a few of the sights and sounds marking a year at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary and its neighboring landscapes in Southern Maryland. In an absorbing account of a year in the life of this sanctuary, naturalist Colin Rees invites us to join him as he explores the secrets and wonders of the changing natural world. Alongside the author, we witness spring's avian migrations, quickening of aquatic vegetation, burgeoning of myriad invertebrates, and the assaults of extreme weather conditions. We revel in summertime's proliferation of fish, fowl, and mammals. We become attuned to the shifting climate's impacts on autumnal transitions, and we marvel at amazing feats of biological inventiveness in preparation for winter conditions. Through these visions of the fleeting-and yet enduring-cycles of nature, Rees shares deep insights into the ecological and behavioral dynamics of the natural environment. Enhanced by more than two dozen color plates, the book touches on a wide range of issues, from microbial diversity, bird banding, and butterfly phenology to genetic diversity and habitat fragmentation. It also examines the challenges of conserving these and other natural features in the face of climate change and development pressures. Thoughtful and lyrical, Nature's Calendar speaks to all readers, scientific and lay alike. Fascinating profiles of flora and fauna celebrate the richness and complexity of a unique ecosystem, exploring the entire ecology of this dynamic and delicate area.
"A thorough and engaging history of Maine's rocky coast and its tough-minded people."-Boston Herald "[A] well-researched and well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn perseverance."-USA Today For more than four hundred years the people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept lands, resisting outsiders' attempts to control them while harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Today's independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern seaboard.In the tradition of William Warner's Beautiful Swimmers, veteran journalist Colin Woodard (author of American Character: A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good) traces the history of the rugged fishing communities that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions, and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people "from away," Maine's lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of America while defying the "tragedy of the commons"-the notion that people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and hard-won wisdom.
The impact of people and places in Wolstanton and May Bank is recorded in this pictorial record that recognises the contribution of village notables, dear old friends and long-gone institutions. A wealth of photographs depicting the joys of community life mingle with contemporary pictures, showing, often with dramatic impact, the shocking demolition of facilities we perhaps took for granted, such as The Plough, the Oxford Arms and The Marsh Head. Elsewhere, images of former shops such as Holdridge's, Swettenham's and the Spinning Wheel show how High Street shopping patterns have changed. Author Mervyn Edwards has only ever lived in Wolstanton and May Bank, and through this unique selection of old and new images, he presents a tribute to the place he happily calls home.
Tavistock has cast its spell over generations of visitors. Attractively set between two significant natural barriers, the River Tamar to the west and Dartmoor to the east, residents and visitors today would still recognise the truth of what one impressed tourist wrote in 1892: 'The town has a leisurely and beautiful appearance, and the people do not seem to need to kill themselves and slay each other in the mad rush of life which spoils so many other towns.' However, being relaxed is not the same as being sleepy. The economic and social life of the town has, at each stage of its development, been dynamic. The designation 'Ancient Stannary Town' on the welcoming road signs, for example, is a reminder of the long association with the tin industry, and the oft-quoted description 'The Gothic town of the West' brings to mind the great age of copper mining and the changes to the town centre that accompanied it. This fully illustrated account brings the modern resident and visitor face to face with the factors that have influenced the development of this unique and fascinating corner of Devon.
Mull and Iona are two of the most visited islands in Scotland, and have played a central role in the history of the country. As the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, Iona has been a place of pilgrimage for almost 1,500 years and was a beacon of intellectual light during the Dark Ages, when magnificent works such as the Book of Kells were crafted by the monks of the abbey founded by St Columba. This book provides a full and engaging history of the islands from the time of their earliest human inhabitants to the present day. The gazetteer lists all the places of interest from all periods in the islands' history, from the world-wide renowned churches, crosses and grave slabs on Iona and the magnificent restored Duart Castle on Mull, seat of the clan Maclean, to the planned village of Dervaig, the townships in the Ross of Mull and Ardmeanach which were cleared during the nineteenth century and the mausoleum of Lachlan MacQuarrie, the much esteemed 18th-century Governor of New South Wales.
Scholars working in archaeology, education, history, geography, and politics tell a nuanced story about the people and dynamics that reshaped this region and determined who would control it. The Ohio Valley possesses some of the most resource-rich terrain in the world. Its settlement by humans was thus consequential not only for shaping the geographic and cultural landscape of the region but also for forming the United States and the future of world history. Settling Ohio begins with an overview of the first people who inhabited the region, who built civilizations that moved massive amounts of earth and left an archaeological record that drew the interest of subsequent settlers and continues to intrigue scholars. It highlights how, in the eighteenth century, American Indians who migrated from the East and North interacted with Europeans to develop impressive trading networks and how they navigated complicated wars and sought to preserve national identities in the face of violent attempts to remove them from their lands. The book situates the traditional story of Ohio settlement, including the Northwest Ordinance, the dealings of the Ohio Company of Associates, and early road building, into a far richer story of contested spaces, competing visions of nationhood, and complicated relations with Indian peoples. By so doing, the contributors provide valuable new insights into how chaotic and contingent early national politics and frontier development truly were. Chapters highlighting the role of apple-growing culture, education, African American settlers, and the diverse migration flows into Ohio from the East and Europe further demonstrate the complex multiethnic composition of Ohio’s early settlements and the tensions that resulted. A final theme of this volume is the desirability of working to recover the often-forgotten history of non-White peoples displaced by the processes of settler colonialism that has been, until recently, undervalued in the scholarship.
This fascinating selection of photographs illustrates the extraordinary transformation that has taken place in The Potteries during the 20th century. The book offers an insight into the daily lives and living conditions of local people and gives the reader glimpses and details of familiar places during a century of unprecedented change. Many aspects of The Potteries' recent history are covered, famous occasions and individuals are remembered and the impact of national and international events is witnessed. The book provides a striking account of the changes that have so altered the appearance of The Potteries, and records the process of transformation. Drawing on detailed local knowledge of the community, and illustrated with a wealth of black-and-white photographs, this book recalls what The Potteries has lost in terms of buildings, traditions and ways of life. It also acknowledges the regeneration that has taken place and celebrates the character and energy of local people as they move through the first years of this new century.
As she awaits her execution at Oxford Castle, a newly wed woman from a God-fearing family, convicted for murdering her housemaid, is pardoned at the last minute by King George II. A butcher suddenly disappears and changes his identity after the tragic death of his young wife. A picture-frame maker from humble origins becomes 'the richest man in Oxford' and is at ease socialising with the luminaries of the Victorian art world. And a lovestruck local member of parliament with a serious gambling addiction dies in suspicious circumstances. These are some of the stories of individuals connected with the land and property on Middle Way in Summertown, Oxford, where the author now lives. The book presents an alternative history of Oxford and explores how Summertown evolved from being primarily an artisans' village to becoming a well-heeled suburb of Oxford. Extensively referenced and using archival sources and interviews, a voice is also given to the living relatives of people connected with the land and property on Middle Way.
From Kim Heacox, the acclaimed author of The Only Kayak and John Muir and the Ice That Started a Fire, comes Rhythm of the Wild, an Alaska memoir focused on Denali National Park. Music runs through every page of this book, as do stories, rivers and wolves. At its heart, Rhythm of the Wild is a love story. It begins in 1981 and ends in 2014, yet reaches beyond the arc of time. Author and mountaineer Jonathan Waterman has called Heacox "our northern Edward Abbey." In this book we find out why. We hitchhike with Kim through Idaho, camp on the Colorado Plateau, and fly off the sand cliffs of Hangman Creek with a little terrier named Super Max, the Wonder Dog. We meet Zed, the Aborigine; Nine Fingers, the blues guitarist; and Adolph Murie, the legendary wildlife biologist, who dared to say that wolves should be protected, not persecuted. Kim also reprises in this book his friend Richard Steele, a beloved character from The Only Kayak. Some books are larger than their actual subject-this is one. Part memoir, part exploration of Denali's inspiring natural and human history, and part conservation polemic, Rhythm of the Wild ranges from funny to provocative. It's a celebration of-and a plea to restore and defend-the vibrant earth and our rightful place in it. |
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